Highway-crossing protection



Feb. 11, 1930. H. c. PRICE 1,746,277

HIGHWAY CROSSING PROTECTION Filed April 24, 1928 lmerlodcmq Relay.

b niarloc'king Relay.

STATES UNITE HARRY o. Peron, OF Youivesrown, OHIO,

' VANIA PATE NT OFFICE ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH & SIG-2 NAL COMPANY,OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL-- HIGHWAY-CROSSINGPROTECTION Application filed April 24,

My invention relates to highway crossing protection, that is, toapparatus for protect ing the intersectionsof railwaysand highways.

1 will describe two forms of apparatus embodying my invention, and willthen point out the novel features thereof in clanns.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 1s a diagrammatic view showing oneform of ap paratus embodying my invention, and F g. 2

a diagrammatic view showing a modification of the apparatus shown inFig. l and also embodying my invention.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of theviews.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the reference characters 1 and 1 designatethe track rails of a railway over which traffic moves in bothdirections. These rails are divided by insulated joints 2 to form twotrack sections AB and BC. A highway H intersects the railway track atornear the point B.

Track section A-B is provided with a trackcircuit comprising a source ofcurrent 3, and one magnet l of an interlocking relay R. The other tracksection BG is provided with a similar track circuit including the othermagnet a of the interlocking relay R. Relay B may be of any suitabletype, such, for example, as the relay shown in United States LettersPatent No. 799,452, granted to W. TV. Coleman on September 12, 1905.Relay R controls a highway crossing signal S, which may be of anysuitable type, but which, as here shown, is a bell. This bell isprovided with a circuit which includes a battery 7, and two backcontacts and 5 in multiple, of relay R, whereby the bell rings when atrain is in either section AB or BG approaching the highway H, butceases to ring while the train is receding from the highway. Thecontrolof highway crossing bells and other crossing signals by interlockingrelays is well understood and need not be explained in further detailherein.

The magnet 4 of relay R is provided with a shunt path which includes aback contact 6 of the armature associated with magnet 43; and,slmllarly, magnet 49 is provided witha shunt path which includes a backcontact 6 of closing of contact 6 will complete the shuntpath aroundmagnet 4 so that the armature of this magnet will release, but will ofcourse, not open far enough to close back contacts 5 and 6 When thetrain enters section BC, it will haveno effect on the armatureassociated with magnet 4 because this arma-- ture isalready released.When the rear end 7 V of the train leaves section A-B, magnet 4 willbecome energized to open contacts S and 6 and the openlng of contact 5will cause the bell to stop ringing.- The operation during passage of atrain moving toward the left will be apparent without explanation.

The auxiliary shunt path for each magnet insures that when a lightengine passes rapidly from either track section into the other, thesecond magnet of the interlocking relay will be ole-energized before thefirst magnet becomes energized, and this insures that the interlockingparts of the relay will function properly. i

Referring now to Fig. 2, magnet 49 of the interlockingrelay R isconnected with the track rails" of section B-G, as inFig. 1,

but magnet d is controlled by a track relay R which is included in thetrack circuitfor section AB. This arrangement is particularly welladapted for use when magnet P of the interlocking relay is to becontrolled by devices other than the track circuit for section A-E. Thecircuit for magnet 4 is fron'ra suitable source of current, not shown inthe drawing, through apparatus which is likewise not shown in thedrawing, then through wire .11, contact 9 of relay R wire 12, frontcontact 8 associated with magnet 4", wire 13, windings of magnet 43,wire 14, contact 10 of relay R", and wire 11 to the other terminal ofthe source of current. It will be noted that this circuit includes afront con tact of the armature associated with magnet 4", so that whenmagnet P becomes de-energized due to a train moving toward the leftentering section B.C, magnet at will also be (lo-energized. Magnet 4* isprovided with a shunt path which includes back Contact 6 of the armatureassociated with magnet t, this part of the apparatus being exactly thesame'as in Fig. 1. The operation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2 is thesame as that of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, except that when a trainis moving towards the right, bell S will start to ring as soon as thecircuit for magnet 4* is opened by the device or devices to the left ofsection AB which control this circuit.

Although'I have herein shown and described only two forms of apparatusembfldying my invention, it-is understood that various changes andmodifications may be made therein within the scope of the appendedclaims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

a 1. Apparatus for protecting an intersection of a railway and ahighway, comprising interlocking relay controlled by trains,

' and means for controlling each magnet of said relay by the armatureassociated with the other magnet- 2 Apparatus for protecting anintersection of a railway and a highway, comprising an interlockingrelay controlled by trains, and an auxlliar circuit for each magnet ofsaid relay incln ing a contact of the armature associated with the othermagnet.

3. Apparatus for protecting an intersection of a railway and a highway,comprising an interlocking relay controlled by trains, and auxiliarymeans for controlling one magnet of said relay by the armature of theother I magnet.

4;. Apparatus for protecting an intersection of a railway and a highway,comprising an interlocking relay controlled by trains, and a shunt pathfor one magnet of said relay. including a back contact of the armature.associated with the other magnet.

' Apparatus for protecting an intersection of a railway and a highway,comprising an interlocking relay controlled by trains,

and ashiintpath for each magnet of said I'elay'including a back contactof the armature associated with the other magnet.

6. Apparatus. for protecting an intersection of a railway and a highway,comprising an interlocking relay, the circuit for one magnet of saidrelay including a front contact of the armature associated with theother magnet, and a shunt path for the second magnet including a backcontact of the armature associated with the first magnet.

7. In combination, two adjacent sections of railway track, aninterlocking relay, a track circuit for one section including one magnetof said relay, a track circuit for the other section including the othermagnet of said relay, and means for controlling each magnet of saidrelay by the armature associated with the other magnet.

8. In combination, two adjacent sections of railway track, aninterlocking relay, a track circuit for one section including'one magnetof said relay, a track circuit for the other section including the othermagnet of said relay, and a shunt path for each magnet of said relayincluding a back contact of the armature associated with the othermagnet.

9. In combination, two adjacent sections of railway track,aninterlocking relay, a second relay, a track circuit for one section in-.cluding the first magnet of said interlocking relay, a track circuit forthe othersection including the magnet of said second relay, a circuitfor the second magnet of said interlocking relay controlled by a frontcontact of said second relay and by a front contact of the armatureassociated with the first magnet of the interlocking relay, and a shuntpath for the first magnet of said interlocking relay including a backcontact of the armature associated with the second magnet.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' HARRY O. PRICE.

